§ 2.27 p.m.
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask the Leader of the House whether, without trespassing upon the rights of Members, it may be possible to devise some procedure whereby Questions involving numerous, complicated or divergent matters could be prompted to appear on the Order Paper not as Starred Questions, but rather as Unstarred Questions, or Questions for Written Answer.]
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I will, with leave, answer this Question on behalf of my noble friend Lord Shackleton, who much regrets that he is unable to be here himself. Without commenting at this stage on the merits of the 303 noble Lord's suggestion, we would welcome discussion of this matter and suggest that in the first instance it might be undertaken by the Procedure Committee.
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, in that case, may I be forgiven for inquiring whether there are any vacancies on the Procedure Committee?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, the noble Lord may inquire. I shall make inquiries myself and let him know.
§ LORD ROBERTSON OF OAKRIDGEMy Lords, does not the noble Lord think that sometimes the representatives on the Government Front Bench might get over this difficulty by being a little briefer in their replies and a little less considerate to those Members of the House who ask many irrelevant supplementary questions?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, coming from one of the most considerate Members of the House, I find it a little difficult to accept from him that one speaking from here should be inconsiderate to others. But certainly we shall bear in mind what the noble Lord has said.
VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDSMy Lords, would my noble friend agree that this Question itself involves "numerous, complicated or divergent matters", and could very well appear on Line Order Paper as an Unstarred Question?
§ SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS: No.